permaculture

["Graham Burnett" <gburnett@unisonfree.net>]

Brilliant Judith!

Thank you for this succinct and coherent posting! do you mind if I forward 
this to the
alt.permaculture newsgroup where a debate on these issues is raging?

Best wishes,

Graham (currently recovering from a self inflicted burn-out/stress episode 
(been there, done that,
just buying a teeshirt before returning home...))

Graham Burnett
35 Rayleigh Avenue
Westcliff On Sea
Essex, UK
SS0 7DS

South East Essex LETS
http://pages.unisonfree.net/gburnett/

----- Original Message -----
From: Judith Hanna <jehanna@gn.apc.org>
To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: 30 June 2000 00:11
Subject: Re: all theory thread


> Dan wrote
>
> >>cultures are much bigger than any of us can every hope to manipulate.  
> >>just
> like a frog or a beech tree can only participate in the ecological system
> within which it dwells, so too can we only participate in the cultural
> system within which we dwell.  some of us have more/less impact but the
> ultimate determiner of system evolution tends to be the relationships
> between entities in that system.
>
> thats why its really important for those of us with heaps of energy and
> vision for earth care and so on, to maintain some sense of our limits, and
> not to expect too much of ourselves (otherwise we burn out), and also not
> to expect too much of those we are in contact with.  remembering that we
> are only one part of a hugely complex system (called a culture) which is
> full of factors influencing how we all think/act/assume... etc<<
>
>
>
> Thanks, Dan. This brings the discussion back to a point that resonates for
> me: how we integrate 'peoplecare' and 'fair shares' with 'earthcare'. That
> is the difference between 'sustainabililty' (meeting people's needs without
> inflicting damage on the world we're part of) from green/environmentalism.
>
> I see permaculture theory as fairly coherent:
>
> Three sustainability ethics -- as above
>
> Design principles: observe and learn from nature; least interference for
> most yield; multiplicity and diversity of functions/yields/connections;
> local resources and uses/close the loops; a use for every resources (no
> waste); problem is the solution -- various ways of phrasing these and
> dividing them up, and illustrating them with examples. (I teach them by
> getting students to draw cards with the catchphrases written on, and they
> tell the rest of the class what they think the phrase on their card may
> mean -- has worked well, with others getting to add their gloss on the
> points. Very participatory, at the early stage where people still a bit shy
> of each other.)
>
> Than come the techniques: and here what techniques  are most relevant to
> the local ecosystems and social systems, and examples illustrating how they
> can be used, will vary. Mollison concentrated on Aussie conditions -- which
> are very different from the crowded temperate wet UK. And that means of
> course that he left out quite a lot that is central to here -- especially
> on the people/fair shares side. And ways of working with established social
> systems, as distinct from 'new build' alternative idealistic communities.
>
> Next is 'design skills': the BREDIM or similar methodologies -- project
> planning frameworks, which come down to variants of 'Define objective --
> Research/observe (revisit objective) -- Plan/design -- DO IT! --
> Evaluate/replan' in manageable iterative phases
> Thinking in zones/sectors; defining monitorable aims and how to measure
> whether you're achieving them; working with clients; costings etc come into
> this 'design/project management skills' element -- shared with all sorts of
> other management training.
>
> I don't find that the lack of techniques relevant to here makes
> permacultures ethics and design for sustainability principles any less
> illuminating and useful. But it does pose a challenge for us to evolve a
> good collection of examples of how pc works in this cold climate.
>
> Lawrence raised the issue of zones: way I see it is that people have a
> right to privacy and to not be evangelised about their souls. But we do
> need to recognise ourselves as the single most crucial local resource we
> have, one that we need to care for, look after and nurture as much as any
> other natural resource -- and as Dan said, not over-exploit and exhaust
> ourselves. I agree that burn-out is the biggest danger for activist
> idealists -- and almost always a self-inflicted injury.
>
> I agree that teaching techniques for setting and respecting boundaries for
> personal commitment -- others' and one's own -- ought to be basic to PDC. I
> think it fits under 'project management/design skill' -- but is also about
> understanding how people work as resources making up human ecosystems. No
> guilt-tripping is a bottom-line -- and some overly idealistic and
> evangelical 'niceness' approaches come across as guilt-tripping others.
>
> We do need a much clearer, more hard-headed and socially realistic toolkit
> on peoplecare -- informed by mainstream social sciences, traditional good
> manners and well brung upness, and useful selections of the feminist/green
> ways of networking/meeting/organisational dynamics -- which increasingly
> seem to cross over with mainstream management training gimmicks these 
> days....
>
> Take care of yourselves now,
>
> Judith
>
>
>
>
>
> Judith Hanna
> jehanna@gn.apc.org
> 15 Jansons Rd, Tottenham, London N15 4JU
>
>
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